No. 3: SF 49ers should replace quarterbacks coach Shane Day
One could make the assessment the Niners’ quarterbacking room hasn’t necessarily improved much at all since 2018, at least in terms of young players’ development.
Interestingly enough, 2019 marked the first year quarterbacks coach Shane Day was put into his current position, relieving former coach Rich Scangarello, who left for the Denver Broncos’ vacant offensive coordinator position that year.
Day worked various offensive positions as an assistant, but the lack of development from backup quarterbacks C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens in 2019 and into 2020 was noticeably apparent. Especially this season. While neither player is immensely talented, the lack of progress with both footwork and pocket awareness is something Day needed to address and improve.
Neither happened.
Ironically enough, Mullens thrived under Scangarello in 2018, and the latter was essential in bringing the undrafted prospect out of Southern Mississippi to San Francisco the previous year.
While things didn’t pan out with Scangarello in Denver and he was eventually fired before joining the Philadelphia Eagles’ staff under head coach Doug Pederson, one has to figure he’d welcome a promotion from an Eagles assistant back to a quarterbacks coach with the SF 49ers in 2021.
That would mean Day could be relieved of his duties, and hopefully, a revamped Niners quarterback room would improve again next season.